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Etiologic and immunologic characteristics of thoroughbred horses with bacterial infectious upper respiratory disease at the Seoul Race Park.
Abstract: Equine respiratory disease is a common cause of poor performance and training interruptions. The higher incidence rate of infectious upper respiratory disease (IURD) in thoroughbred racehorses at the Seoul Race Park coincided with the frequent stabling season, shorter stabling periods, and younger ages in this study. Incidence rates were also correlated with significantly lower proportions of cells expressing MHC class II-, CD2 antigen-, CD4+- or CD8+-T lymphocyte-, and B lymphocyte in IURD patients compared with healthy control groups in the summer and fall and in 2-and-3-year-old groups. The data suggested that movement and new environments may have resulted in immunosuppression and inappropriate responses to respiratory pathogens in IURD patients. The IURD incidence decreased with age, perhaps by the acquisition of immunity, and study results suggested that immunologic protection was associated with IURD, particularly in young thoroughbred racehorses. Streptococci isolates were identified in 11 of 72 IURD horses, and 3 of these isolates were identified as Streptococcus. equi subsp. equi. S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus was isolated from 2 of 23 IURD horses in the spring (8.7%), 5 of 23 in the summer (21.7%), and 1 of 6 in winter (16.7%). S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus (5%) was also identified in 3 of 61 isolates from clinically normal horses. Racetracks should implement anti-IURD protective measures by assessing the capacity of equine immunologic protection at the Park and by limiting the introduction of specific respiratory pathogens (such as S. equi subsp. equi) by preventing the access of infected horses with a respiratory pathogen-free certification system prior to Park entry.
Publication Date: 2009-10-08 PubMed ID: 19809264DOI: 10.4014/jmb.0812.670Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research investigates the reasons behind the high incidence of infectious upper respiratory diseases in thoroughbred racehorses at the Seoul Race Park and suggests strategies to mitigate this issue using immune protection and pathogen prevention methods.
Research Background
- Equine respiratory disease frequently causes poor performance and interrupts training in thoroughbred horses.
- Increased occurrence of such diseases at the Seoul Race Park led to this study, with factors such as frequent stabling, shorter stabling period and younger horse age suspected to contribute to this.
Main Findings
- Researchers found that horses suffering from infectious upper respiratory disease (IURD) had significantly lower counts of certain types of immune cells, indicating that they may have compromised immune systems.
- These low cell counts were particularly noticeable in the summer and fall seasons, as well as within younger horse populations (2- and 3-year olds).
- The study also posits that changes in environment due to constant moving could have led to the horses’ immune systems being suppressed, contributing to their vulnerability to respiratory pathogens.
- It was noted that the incidence of IURD decreased with the horses’ age, which the authors associate with an acquired immunity as the animals grow older.
Bacterial Findings
- The study identified bacterial presence in several cases of IURD, where Streptococcus species (specifically S. equi subsp. equi and S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus) were isolated from a number of horses.
- The presence of these bacteria also varied from season to season and was also found in small percentages of clinically normal horses.
Recommendations
- To control the high incidence of IURD within the race park, the study recommends preventative measures on two fronts:
- Firstly, enhancing the horses’ immune protection in the park by assessing and reinforcing their immune capacities.
- Secondly, limiting exposure to specific respiratory pathogens by implementing a certification system for new arrivals to ensure they are pathogen-free.
Cite This Article
APA
Ryu SH, Koo HC, Park YK, Kim JM, Jung WK, Davis WC, Park YH, Lee CW.
(2009).
Etiologic and immunologic characteristics of thoroughbred horses with bacterial infectious upper respiratory disease at the Seoul Race Park.
J Microbiol Biotechnol, 19(9), 1041-1050.
https://doi.org/10.4014/jmb.0812.670 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Korea Racing Authority, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi 427-711, Korea.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- DNA Primers
- Environment
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Korea
- Microbial Sensitivity Tests
- Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
- Reference Values
- Respiratory Tract Infections / drug therapy
- Respiratory Tract Infections / etiology
- Respiratory Tract Infections / immunology
- Respiratory Tract Infections / veterinary
- Streptococcal Infections / drug therapy
- Streptococcal Infections / etiology
- Streptococcal Infections / immunology
- Streptococcal Infections / veterinary
- Streptococcus equi / drug effects
- Streptococcus equi / genetics
- Streptococcus equi / isolation & purification
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Lee SK, Choi J, Yoon J, Jung J, Park JY, Park J, Kim Y, Park JY, Park D. Molecular Detection of Equine Adenovirus 1 in Nasal Swabs from Horses in the Republic of Korea. Vet Sci 2022 Apr 13;9(4).
- Junkkari R, Simojoki H, Heiskanen ML, Pelkonen S, Sankari S, Tulamo RM, Mykkänen A. A comparison of unheated loose housing with stables on the respiratory health of weaned-foals in cold winter conditions: an observational field-study. Acta Vet Scand 2017 Oct 26;59(1):73.
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